Vancouver Sun, June 1, 2009: Difference between revisions
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<center><h3> | <center><h3> Burnett's influence felt on uneven new <br> Costello album </h3></center> | ||
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<center> Kirk Lapointe </center> | <center> Kirk Lapointe </center> | ||
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Elvis Costello, ever the genre-bender, revives a softer-spoken, delicate focus reminiscent of '' | Elvis Costello, ever the genre-bender, revives a softer-spoken, delicate focus reminiscent of ''Almost Blue'' and ''King of America'' in his new album, ''Secret, Profane & Sugarcane''. At times soothing, at times beguiling, the country/bluegrass/torch amalgam is beautifully arranged and formidably played. | ||
From the first few seconds of "[[Down Among The Wines And Spirits|Down Among The Wine and Spirits]]," it is apparent that the album's producer, [[T-Bone Burnett]] — fresh off teaming Robert Plant and Alison Krauss — is more studio partner than knob-twirler. For the music he wanted to create, Costello found the ideal collaborator. | From the first few seconds of "[[Down Among The Wines And Spirits|Down Among The Wine and Spirits]]," it is apparent that the album's producer, [[T-Bone Burnett]] — fresh off teaming Robert Plant and Alison Krauss — is more studio partner than knob-twirler. For the music he wanted to create, Costello found the ideal collaborator. | ||
If you liked the Plant/Krauss project, Secret will be familiar territory: dobro, banjo, fiddle, upright bass, [[Loretta Lynn]] here, [[Emmylou Harris]] there, the stuff of Americana, a few planets away from Costello's recorded origins, yet well within his vocabulary. | If you liked the Plant/Krauss project, ''Secret'' will be familiar territory: dobro, banjo, fiddle, upright bass, [[Loretta Lynn]] here, [[Emmylou Harris]] there, the stuff of Americana, a few planets away from Costello's recorded origins, yet well within his vocabulary. | ||
I particularly liked the upbeat "[[Complicated Shadows]]," the Lynn-co-written "[[I Felt The Chill]]," the spirited romp "[[My All Time Doll|My All-Time Doll]]," the plaintive "[[How Deep Is The Red?]]" and the closing waltz, "[[Changing Partners]]" (dedicated to his "one and only dancing partner," wife | I particularly liked the upbeat "[[Complicated Shadows]]," the Lynn-co-written "[[I Felt The Chill]]," the spirited romp "[[My All Time Doll|My All-Time Doll]]," the plaintive "[[How Deep Is The Red?]]" and the closing waltz, "[[Changing Partners]]" (dedicated to his "one and only dancing partner," wife Diana Krall). | ||
If that sounds like an acceptable quota, well, I'm sorry to say repeated listening doesn't make for a fully appreciable recording. The gorgeous tone can carry only so far. The handful of strong melodies live in a languid environment, with insufficient Elvis verve, and by including four songs written for opera, Costello seems to be indulging his capacity as a musical chameleon instead of his audience's need for coherence. | If that sounds like an acceptable quota, well, I'm sorry to say repeated listening doesn't make for a fully appreciable recording. The gorgeous tone can carry only so far. The handful of strong melodies live in a languid environment, with insufficient Elvis verve, and by including four songs written for opera, Costello seems to be indulging his capacity as a musical chameleon instead of his audience's need for coherence. | ||
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[[Kirk Lapointe]] reviews ''[[Secret, Profane & Sugarcane]]''. | [[Kirk Lapointe]] reviews ''[[Secret, Profane & Sugarcane]]''. | ||
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Revision as of 20:17, 7 March 2015
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